When: Summer 2012
Program Description: The water committee of Cerro Blanco hired a civil engineer to design the new system, and the committee has completed the first phase of construction. All of the design specifications, land surveys, and technical plans were completed in January 2008. The spring box and first section of pipeline were constructed in the August 2008. The project has been stalled due to lack of funds. The new system will deliver clean, safe drinking water to 100 families, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It will be managed by a democratically elected water community water community. The system will have excess capacity for future growth. Cerro Blanco has a democratically elected water committee that has successfully maintained the existing system for several years. The committee is responsible for constructing and maintaining the new system. MOCHE will manage the construction project, provide technical expertise, coordinate construction activities with the water committee and community members, monitor all project purchases to ensure that funds are not misappropriated, and maintain quality control. Each family will contribute volunteer labor, and the water committee will provide a construction foreman (Martin Castillo), who has the experience and technical knowledge to direct construction of the system. The community has paid for the design of the system and the first phase of construction (the spring box and 2.5 km of pipeline).
Location: Cerro Blanco is a small rural community in the foothills of the Andes on the north coast of Peru. Most of families are poor, living on less than $150 per month, which is barely enough to feed a family. Most of the community members work as agricultural laborers. Families supplement meager wages with small kitchen gardens and by raising guinea pigs, rabbits, and ducks. A few have livestock or small plots of irrigated land on which they grow fruits and vegetables. The community has out grown the existing water system; most families don’t have running water. Health surveys conducted by MOCHE revealed high rates of parasitic disease and diarrhea from contaminated drinking water. These factors are partly responsible for high rates of infant mortality in the community.
Accommodations: Volunteers will live in the beautiful beach town of Huanchaco. They will sleep in double or triple room with shared bathroom facilities with running water, electricity and some hot water. We have a Peruvian staff that cooks our meals, three times a day, six days a week. The meals will include: a light breakfast of bread, butter,  jams, coffee and juice, a packed meal to take to the field and hot, home-cooked Peruvian dinners. We can accommodate vegetarians, given advanced notice, but we regret that we cannot accommodate a vegan diet. Meals are not covered on Sunday, as Sunday is a free day that volunteers can use to go in and see the city of Trujillo, take surfing lessons, relax on the beach or play soccer. We can also arrange Spanish lessons from a local tutor for an extra fee.
Language: The people of coastal Peru speak Spanish, and the Moche Valley is no exception. There is no language requirement for the program, as we have bilingual staff, however, as stated above, if you would like to work to improve your Spanish skills we can arrange for tutoring with locals for a fee.
Costs: For this program we are partnering with Nourish International and fee information will be provided by Nourish International. If you are interested in joining the group please contact Esther Namkoong. All fees cover all lodging, 3 meals a day, 6 days a week, orientation and educational workshops, guided tours, supplies for development projects, transportation Huanchaco-Ciudad, the trip to Cajamarca, a MOCHE t-shirt and all site and museum entrance fees.
More Information: For more information about the program, costs or lodging, email Esther Namkoong.
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